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Description of pixelfont technology

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As the websites became faster, it was needed to create pixelfont technology. The web developers and designers claim fonts, which are suitable for display, printer and other end-devices. When you use traditional vectorfonts (TrueType ™, OpenType ™, PostScript ™ Type1), the small text will be fuzzy. The application will do anti-aliasing for presentation, since the contours will not coincide with pixels of screen. If you turn off this possibility in the application, it could happen, that the letters of the particular font will be incomplete. You can observe this incident mostly at the programs of image processing.


8 pts types without anti-aliasing,
10 & 12 pts types by using anti-aliasing

 

The pixelfont is a store of types, which takes a stand on vector as well. The pixelfont is scalable, but the contours are made from straights. The characters of the traditional typefaces are built up from curves and straights (they aren't horizontal and vertical). The letters of an ideal pixelfont are similar to characters, which were created by filled squares in an area that contains squares. These squares' advantage come, when the display represents them and the pixels cover the screen's pixels. You can meet with other shape of pixels, but they are used for aesthetic goals. The most important advantages of pixelfont technology (quickness and readability) can not stand out.



Contours of pixel character without/with filling in

 

We need to create overlaps where the pixels of these fonts meet, in order to get the cleanest, the nicest and the sharpest view. All the same, the overlaps could cause problems in fonts. The drawing directions of the elements' contours must be the same, otherwise the overlaps will turned to negative, and will extinguish each other. This is why practical to combine the overlap regions. The nodes of the letter will be less, therefore the size of the font file will be less too. It's worth steeling our system with advantages of OpenType ™ (small size of files, kerning class technology, PostScript ™ outline)

 



Optimized pixel character without/with filling in

 

When we use the pixelfont as bigger, of course you will see the steps at parts of the letter. This is why the bigger text in head made of traditional vectorfonts. The anti-aliasing does not cause a wrong quality reading in bigger sizes.

how to measure out pixelfonts in Flash 



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